Moynihan preparing to announce that Penn Station will move to the Farley building — back in 2002.Photo: Getty Images
It’s tough to keep track of what’s going on with Moynihan Station. Seemingly decades ago, the late Senator Pat Moynihan came out with the idea of relocating Penn Station into the adjacent Farley Post Office, a 1912 building designed by McKim, Mead, and White to complement their old Penn Station across the street, now tragically destroyed. The idea picked up steam and sometime around last year, when it had grown into a major office-and-entertainment complex, anchored by the train station but also including a relocated Madison Square Garden and several new towers, it seemed set to go. Then in October it was delayed, and in December it was killed. According to yesterday’s Times, though, now it’s back again, and it’s even bigger than before:
In the next three weeks, two of the city’s largest developers will unveil new plans for rebuilding the station, moving Madison Square Garden, replacing the Hotel Pennsylvania, and erecting a pair of skyscrapers, one of which would be taller than the Empire State Building, over the site of the existing station.
This time, the plan will include a soaring, glass-roofed Penn Station; it’ll also create 10 million square feet of new office space, as much as the old World Trade Center, and involve buildings on six blocks. Steven Roth, of the Related Companies, is one of the two developers behind this plan; he’s also a leading contender to win the battle for Hudson Yards when the MTA finally puts that up for sale — which means one dude will basically own all of 34th Street west of Macy’s. That’s kind of cool, or else kind of terrifying.
New Grandeur for Penn Station in Latest Plan [NYT]
Earlier: Moynihan Station: It’s Alive?
